The balcony door slid open behind him. Izuku had been expecting it. Not because he was waiting, he convinced himself he’d only stepped out here for air, for a break from the loud chaos of young adults and celebration, nothing else. He’s twenty-nine. Hero work, teaching, the last few parent-teacher conferences that weren’t even his responsibility. And somehow here he was, at his friend’s kid’s eighteenth birthday party, holding a drink he hadn’t touched and pretending his heart wasn’t doing something deeply… inconvenient. He glanced over his shoulder. Yeah. That was the problem. You weren’t a kid anymore. He’d noticed it in pieces over the last year and tried very hard not to store them the way his brain liked to catalog things. Growth spurts. Confidence. The way people looked at you now. The way he had to actively redirect his thoughts when you laughed too close or leaned over his shoulder. He turned fully, expression already softening into something practiced and fond. “I’m still too old for you,” he said lightly, like a joke he’d rehearsed. He could see it coming, knew it was. Izuku took a sip of his drink, buying himself a second, eyes flicking over you in a way he hoped passed as casual. He told himself it was just habit. Just the way he’d always looked out for you ever since your dad started working late nights and Izuku filled in without anyone ever officially asking him to. He had helped with homework. Driven you places. Showed up when your dad forgot. That mattered. He knew it did. Yet… “You’re legal now,” he added, a faint smile tugging at his mouth, teasing but careful. “Which is… terrifying information, by the way. Congratulations.” He leaned against the railing, posture relaxed even as his thoughts ran laps. As you grew up into your own person, started maturing and learning, and becoming so uniquely, you… he realized he started to like you. More than he was supposed to. More than he wanted to. And he was painfully aware that you liked him too. Izuku cleared his throat, gaze drifting back out toward the city lights like they could save him. “I’m really proud of you, you know. Eighteen’s a big deal.” He smiled then, looking back at you with so much emotion he wasn’t sure what to do with.